The role of higher education in enhancing social entrepreneurship

Social entrepreneurship and Higher Education (HE) seem to form closer relationships. This paper concerns with the role of HE in enhancing social entrepreneurship, as it is implemented in the context of Dorset, UK, and Avalon, Canada. By utilising the theoretical dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation, the paper develops a framework of interpretation for its empirical context. In summarising its findings, it argues that the role HE can play for social entrepreneurship in both cases is highly regarded however there are a number of hurdles that will need to be overcome

Evaluating the quality of inter-organisational relationships: does one plus one equal only two?

Inter-organisational relations have increasingly become an 18obligation 19 for individual organisations in all sectors of the political, social and economic spheres. 18The major factors that organisations must take into account are other organisations 19, Aldrich argues (1994; cited by Sydow, 2002: 141). Therefore, organisational relationships emerge as a consequence of purposeful interactions constrained and enabled by different organisational structures and values (Sydow, 2002). The quality of these relationships are identified and examined in this paper. This is presented through the definition and characteristics of inter-organisational relationships, definition and attributes of the romantic approach to quality and the proposition of qualitative evaluation as a possible approach for assessing the quality of such relationships. Secondary data however shows that the applicability of such a research is not always valuable

Evaluation of the Higher Education Active Community Fund (HEACF) Project in Bournemouth 2005/06

This report evaluates the fourth year of the Higher Education Active Community Fund (HEACF) project’s implementation. This was a collaborative scheme across Bournemouth University led by the Students’ Union in partnership with the professional service department Partnerships, Access and Community Engagement (PACE). The project was funded by Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in order to develop volunteering activities for students and staff. This report is a continuation of the report that was published in November 2005

Evaluation of the Blandford Local Area Agreement 11-19 Pathfinder Project

This document reports on monitoring and evaluation of the Blandford Local Area Agreement 11-19 Pathfinder project. The project started in September 2005 and it aimed to develop and provide youth support services to all 11-19 young people in the catchment area of the Blandford School. On the basis of the monitoring and evaluation the pathfinder group achieved to set out a more needs-led approach for young people, to improve communication within the participating agencies and resulting in a commonly shared view and common language, and to establish multi-agency working as a ‘must do’ approach which can guarantee an effective way of supporting young people and their families

Can Culture and Inter-Organisational Change Attain Sustainable Development? Egalitarian Collaboration at Bournemouth University

Sustainable development as part of the global perspectives’ agenda has proved to be very popular within a range of topics that have been debating the future of the globe in the last decade.In this light, this paper sets the scene on how sustainable development can be achieved within the education, and in particular the Higher Education context in order to produce ‘responsible global citizens’. In doing so, two explanatory theoretical frameworks are utilised, one of cultural theory and one of inter-organisational change. Based on those frameworks, a model for explaining sustainable development is suggested

Strategic Partnerships at Local Level: Just Rhetoric or a Way Forward?

This paper explores the issues around the recent developments of Strategic Partnerships at Local Level based on the initiatives for community regeneration and economic development introduced by the New Labour in order to achieve urban renaissance. The paper sets the policy scene emphasising on strategic partnership arrangements and suggests the steps needed for achieving urban renaissance. It concludes with the reasons why Strategic Partnerships at Local Level constitute a worthwhile way forward recognising though significant dysfunctional elements in the implementation of policies

Strategy for Collaboration: An Operational Framework for Local Strategic Partnerships

Within the field of strategy for organisations, local strategic partnerships (LSPs) have emerged as important forms of collaborative arrangement that enables strategic decisions to be taken and implemented. The principal aim of this paper is to contribute to this subject area through the framework of collaborative strategy. The framework is used as an interpretative concept for understanding the operation of local strategic partnerships in urban regeneration, in particular their organisational structure. The research on this paper draws on information from empirical investigation on LSPs in Leicester, East Midlands. Using a mixture of interviews, observation, and documentary data, the research shows that the concept of collaborative strategy provides a useful tool for understanding partnership working. In this respect it constitutes an example of management research education and – why not – organisational success despite evidence of some dysfunctional aspects that were identified through the research

Evaluating Collaborative Strategy for Local Partnerships in Urban Regeneration in England

The main argument in this paper is that collaboration as a means of involving different agencies into a common purpose can be the main ‘ingredient’ for the formation of a framework of a strategy, the so-called ‘collaborative strategy’. The utility of such a framework is given through the action of Citywide and Local Strategic Partnerships, which are the recent formations of partnership arrangements within the local government context. In particular, the applicability of the framework is examined in the context of urban regeneration based on policy initiatives that have been introduced over the last years. The paper also introduces a type of evaluation of collaborative strategy that is based upon specific aspects of partnership action. Despite its lack of empirical evidence it could be argued that the paper sets the scene for a framework that would be the base for partnership functioning. In this respect the testing of its applicability becomes apparent either in relation to potential fruitful policy outcomes or from the point of view that recognises significant dysfunctional elements at the operational and implementation level

Does Policy Network Analysis provide an adequate understanding of state-group inter-mediation at the local level?

This paper attempts to identify if Network Policy Analysis provides an adequate understanding of state-group inter-mediation at local level. In order to do that the paper refers to recent developments of Policy Network Analysis in UK local government towards a network model of policy making. Beginning with the recent enlargements in Policy Network Analysis it argues that Marsh and Rhodes’s (1992) and Marsh and Smith’s (1996, 1998) Dialectical Approach provide the most convincing response to the topic. Based on this it demonstrates the implications of these theories into British local politics with respect to a developing network model. It tests finally the theoretical considerations empirically using the case of Birmingham City Council regarding housing policy